DREAM GARAGE: Paul Allen’s Octopus
We like to joke about winning the lottery here at ESM, but what do you do when you’re actually worth 10+ billion dollars? Easy- you commission mega-yachts that would make Ernst Stavro Blofeld green with envy.
What a perfect day looks like.
In the case of Paul Allen, his THIRD mega-yacht is outfitted with the following:
- Space for two (!) Helicopters
- Full-size swimming pool
- 10-man submarine (that can sleep eight)
- 63-foot tender
- A second, remote-control submarine
- Movie Theater
- Disco/Party Room
- Full-length Basketball court
- Recording Studio
- Side hatches for additional boats (up to seven) and jet skis
- Room to sleep up to 32 guests (in addition to the 50-60 crew members)
..And that’s just what is publicly known about this masterpiece. Delivered in 2003, the 414-foot Octopus was built by German Shipbuilders Lürssen and features an interior designed by Jonathan Quinn Barnett. Allen went another set further and employs ex-Navy Seals for his crew– just in case you were thinking about crashing one his parties during the Cannes film festival. Probably not a good idea.
Since it’s inception there have been a number of larger yachts built (Eclipse, owned by Roman Abramovich is around 538 feet) but most feature the a typical plain-white exterior (yawn) and lack the je ne sais quoi of Octopus, with detail and style being the two key factors that set it apart. It’s not just a large yacht, it’s a big girl with class. And a submarine.
Well done, Mr. Allen. If you ever dock it in an L.A. Marina I’m sure a few of us would be happy to watch over her for you (we promise not to scratch it).
When not at ESM, Chris can be found cycling up and down the Santa Monica Bay, re-engineering a turkey fryer into a pizza oven or reading about survival techniques in the Gobi desert.
